


I Wouldn't Want To Spend It Without You By My Side

by senioritastyles



Series: 25 Days of Ficmas [16]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Lashton - Freeform, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, they're both younger in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-09 00:17:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8868616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/senioritastyles/pseuds/senioritastyles
Summary: Luke was always extra excited around this time of year, the holidays putting an extra pep in his step. Today in particular is exciting for the eight year old, as it's the day that he gets to dress up like an elf and help his dad—dresses as Santa of course—hand out present to other little kids with families that can't afford to buy them. Growing up he was always jealous of his older brothers when they got to wear the elf costume and help their dad, but not it's finally his turn and today is the first he gets to do it. Ben and Jack handed him the costume two days ago and told him he could go this year and Luke had been absolutely over the moon excited to have the honor. He woke up this morning already bouncing off the walls ready to help less fortunate families, and he ran downstairs already wearing the elf costume. His parents had chuckled and told him the present giving didn't start until that evening at 5 pm, and Luke had gone off to sulk in anticipation until then.
 
Or: Young Lashton become friends.





	

**Author's Note:**

> (title is from From the Ground Up by Dan & Shay)

Luke was always extra excited around this time of year, the holidays putting an extra pep in his step. Today in particular is exciting for the seven year old, as it's the day that he gets to dress up like an elf and help his dad—dressed as Santa of course—hand out presents to other little kids with families that can't afford to buy them. Growing up he was always jealous of his older brothers when they got to wear the elf costume and help their dad, but now it's finally his turn and today is the day he gets to do it. Ben and Jack handed him the costume two days ago and told him he could go this year and Luke had been absolutely over the moon excited to have the honor. He woke up this morning bouncing off the walls ready to help less fortunate families, and he ran downstairs already wearing the elf costume. His parents had chuckled and told him the present giving didn't start until that evening at 5 pm, and Luke had gone off to sulk in anticipation until then.

 

Now they're at the little hall for the event, setting up Santa's chair and surrounding it with all the wrapped donation toys and presents of all shapes and sizes. There's food and drinks being set up on tables all around the room as refreshments for the families that come out, the whole hall smelling like cookies and sweetness. Luke feels the excitement in the air as he stands dutifully next to the big chair his dad is sitting in, a huge smile dimpling his cheeks as a steady stream of families make their way inside right on time. Luke recognizes some of the kids from his classes at school and he waves happily at them as, one by one, they come up and sit on his dad's lap and tell him their name and age. After each kid hops off of Andy's lap, Luke takes their hand just like his dad told him to and he leads them back towards the presents, letting them pick one out and going to grab it before handing it off and wishing them happy holidays. 

 

People are mingling and eating and the kids are playing with the toys they've just received and just as Luke thinks it time for he and his dad to pack it up, the door opens again, letting in a chill along with a small boy and a woman Luke assumes is his mother. The boy is adorable, smaller than Luke with a mop of curly hair and a shy expression, looking around the room with wide eyes as his mom ushers him toward Luke and his dad. He looks a little scared and Luke doesn't recognize him at all unlike most of the kids here, but he immediately feels a small sort of connection to him and it makes him want to go make friends and help take that unhappy look off of his face. Luke's mom is always telling him he's good at making people smile, so he carefully steps away from his spot next to the big chair and he walks over with a soft smile on his face, standing in front of the boy as his mom.

 

"Hi. I'm Luke, Santa's helper." He says, keeping his voice quiet and easy the way he might talk to his newborn baby cousin.

 

The woman behind the boy smiles brightly. "Hi, Luke, this is Ashton. Say hi, sweetie."

 

The boy, Ashton, looks up at his mom with wide eyes like he can't believe his mother would ask him to do such a thing. "Hi." His voice is so quiet he's almost whispering, and it's especially hard to hear over the noise of the other families around them but Luke hears it.

 

Luke smiles triumphantly. "Hi, Ashton. Do you wanna come see Santa?"

 

Ashton seems to look at Luke for a minute while the blonde patiently waits, taking in his adorable red and green elf outfit and the cute little hat with the jingly bell on the end and Luke's smile seems to put him at least a little bit at ease. "Sure."

 

Luke nods and holds his hand out, letting Ashton take it at his own pace and holding it tight once he does. He walks slowly over to his dad with Ashton sticking close by his side as they get to the chair. "Go ahead." Luke whispers to Ashton, nudging him forward very gently.

 

Ashton swallows thickly and looks at Luke before nodding and stepping forward. Luke's dad smiles brightly, putting on his deep and happy Santa voice. "Well, who do we have here?" He asks, opening his arms and letting Ashton slide closer between his legs.

 

Ashton looks at Luke who is still standing close by, almost like he's waiting for the okay to speak. Luke nods with a crooked smile and Ashton turns back, blushing a pretty pink. "I'm Ashton."

 

"Hello there Ashton, I'm Santa." Andy greets, the fake beard tickling against his barely visible lips. "How old are you, young man?"

 

"Nine." Ashton says quietly, looking down and away from Andy's face.

 

Luke feels a little surprised at that because Ashton's teeny tiny compared to himself but he's two years older. His dad is saying something else but Luke isn't really listening, focused in on the adorable curl at the ends of Ashton's shorter hair and the nice dark red color of his jacket. "How about you take Ashton to pick his toy now, little elf?" Andy suggests, and Luke's glad to see that Ashton is smiling.

 

"Sure." Luke nods, his dimples completely off the charts when Ashton sticks his hand out first and takes Luke's in his own.

 

Luke leads him around to where he happens to know all the best toys are, in his expert opinion, standing with Ashton in front of the small stack. "You can pick one and I'll get it for you." 

 

Ashton's face looks a little brighter as he scans the festively wrapped presents, looking for one that catches his eye. "That one." He says, voice still whispery as he points, with the hand that isn't held in Luke's, to a present near the top of a stack that's covered in gold paper with glittery white ornaments embossed into it—the only non red and green present in the entire pile.

 

"Okay." Luke whispers back, letting go of Ashton's hand so he can move forward and pull the present carefully from its spot. "Here you go."

 

Ashton takes it from Luke's hands and he looks at it for a second before looking back up at Luke. "Wanna help me open it?"

 

Luke smiles and nods, sitting down cross-legged on the floor with Ashton, the present resting between them. "You start it."

 

"Okay, just....be careful with the paper." Ashton requests, pulling delicately at the fold on the side where the tape is. 

 

He manages to keep it intact and Luke does the same on the other side, going as easy as Ashton is until the paper comes fully off in one big piece. Ashton sets it to the side and his eyes blow wide when he sees the present inside, a big remote control car, a black pick-up truck with orange flames going down either side. There is a pack of double A batteries taped to the top of the toy box and Ashton pulls it off to get a better look at the car inside.

 

"Woah." Ashton exclaims, louder than before but still mostly quiet and Luke can hear more excitement in his voice.

 

"Hey, I have the same one at home! Mine is red though." Luke admits, watching Ashton examine his present.

 

Ashton looks up and his face is so much happier than when he first walked in and it makes Luke feel proud of himself for doing what he does best and making someone smile. "Can we play with it now?"

 

"Yeah, why not?!" Luke answers, helping Ashton pull the car out of the box and get all the twist ties off.

 

Luke opens the pack of batteries and hands two to Ashton, watching him place them inside the proper slots in the remote. Ashton pushes the little switch that turns the remote on and it lights up, giving him the cue to push on the little levers that move the car in different ways. He quickly figures out which lever controls the turns and which makes it drive forward and backward and he drives it in circles for a minute until he's got the hang of it. 

 

"You're pretty good at that." Luke compliments, watching the truck go around and around until Ashton turns it and drive it purposely right into the side of Luke's leg, giggling uncontrollably. 

 

Luke's nose scrunches up as he laughs, only laughing harder when Ashton keeps back the car up driving it forward again into Luke's leg. He keeps doing it and they keep laughing until neither of them can breathe and they're both splayed out on their sides clutching their stomachs. It attracts the attention of Ashton's mom, who rounds the chair looking for her son and is entirely struck by the sight of him hysterically giggling, the biggest smile she's ever seen plastered on his face.

 

"What are you two doing back here?" She asks, not being able to help the smile on her face.

 

Instead of answering with words, Luke gives Ashton a mischievous look and Ashton gets the hint, turning his car and driving it right into his mother's foot. She makes a small sound that only serves to make the boys laugh harder, each of them curling in on themselves and rolling around gasping for air. 

 

"You two are funny." She chuckles, shaking her head and watching them catch their breath and sit up. "Ashton, sweetheart, why don't you come eat with me?"

 

Ashton nods and sets his controller down, reaching for the perfect piece of wrapping paper and folding it up carefully into a little square and pushing it into the pocket of his worn jeans. He stands up at the same time Luke does, the blonde boy going to pick up the trash from the car box, and Ashton grabs the controller off the ground and brings it to Luke, taking the trash before giving it to him.

 

"Will you watch the car while I eat?" He asks, sounding hopeful.

 

Luke nods and takes the controller. "Sure."

 

Ashton beams at him and goes off with his mom, disappearing into the line of people at the buffet style set up. Luke drives the car out with him as he goes back to stand with his dad again, stopping it and turning it off to save the battery. 

 

"Where did that come from, bud?" Andy asks quietly, pulling Luke closer by the shoulders.

 

"It's Ashton's. He asked me to watch it while he's eating." Luke explains, his dad nodding. "I like him dad, he's cool and he's funny."

 

"Sounded like you two were having fun back there." Andy smiles, glad to see that Luke's made another new friend.

 

Luke nods rapidly because he was having fun with Ashton, and watching him eat politely at the table with his mom gives Luke an idea. "Dad?"

 

"Yeah bud?"

 

"Do you think we can have Ashton and his mom over for dinner on Christmas?" He wonders, blushing just a little at such a sudden suggestion. "You know, since they don't have it as good as we do?"

 

Andy seems caught off guard by the question but his heart warms at the sincere look on Luke's face, and he's proud of his youngest son for being such a good and giving person already. "Well bud, I think that's a great idea and if Ashton's mom says yes then we can have them over."

 

Luke grins and goes strutting over to Ashton and his mom, still smiling when they look over. "Uhm, me and my dad wanted to know if you guys would have dinner with us on Christmas."

 

Ashton's eyes light up and Luke can hear him kicking his feet excitedly. "Can we mom? That'd be so cool!"

 

"Yeah, we have a dog called Molly and she's super nice and my mom always makes ham with mashed potatoes and cookies and pie for dessert!" Luke explains, his voice confident like he's really selling it by mentioning his dog and the food.

 

Ashton's mom looks a little misty eyed, woozy from such generosity coming from a boy younger than her own son. "That does sound like a lot of fun, sweetheart." She admits, giving Luke a soft smile. "We would love to come over on Christmas."

 

\------------------------------------------------------

 

Luke is bouncing on his feet waiting for Ashton and his mom to get to his house. He's had an awesome Christmas so far, received lots of toys and he can't wait to see Ashton again so they can play with all of them together. He sees an older looking car pull up and park out front on the somewhat icy street, squealing when Ashton gets out of the back seat and starts walking up the driveway to the front walk. He's already opening the front door before Ashton's mom knocks on it, throwing his arms around Ashton and hugging him as Ashton giggles.

 

"You're finally here! You have to come see all the stuff I got so we can play with it!" Luke exclaims, watching Ashton nod before reaching over and grabbing the bag in his mom's hands and pulling out the remote control truck. "Hey, you brought it!"

 

"Yeah, I remembered you said you have the same one so I thought we could race them." Ashton admits, blushing just a little bit.

 

Luke nods excitedly. "Totally. Come on, my room's upstairs." 

 

Ashton follows Luke to his room, mouth dropping when he sees that Luke's bed is absolutely covered in brand new toys, most of them still in their boxes. "Woah."

 

Luke giggles and pulls his old red remote control pick-up truck from his toy box in the corner, holding it out triumphantly as Ashton smiles. "We can race them in the hallway if you want."

 

Ashton nods and they carry their toys to the end of the upstairs hallway, lying on their stomachs on the dark hardwood, their socked feet pushing up against the white wall behind them as they set their cars up and turn the remotes on. 

 

Luke makes sure they're both even at the starting point before looking at Ashton. "First one into my parents' room wins." He says, pointing to the open door directly down the hallway.

 

Ashton nods and turns back to focus on his car. "On the count of three. One, two.....three!"

 

They both hammer down on the forward control, their cars jumping to life and racing down the long hallway. Luke is giggling over the sound of the cars, watching his car fall just a little bit behind Ashton's. The older boy's crosses the threshold to Luke's parents' room just half a second before Luke's does and he cheers in victory, laughing at Luke's narrowed eyes. They get up together and go to grab their trucks to bring them back for another race when Ashton stops Luke with a hand on his wrist and he leans in and kisses Luke right on the left cheek.

 

Luke is stunned, holding his truck in one hand and touching his cheek with the other, eyes wide with curiosity as he looks at Ashton's deep red cheeks. "What was that for?"

 

Ashton bites his lip and kicks his foot against the floor, looking sheepish but sincere. "For giving me the best Christmas ever."

 

Luke's smile is huge as he hugs Ashton tightly, squeezing him with all of his might. "Ashton, I think we're gonna be friends for a really long time."

 

"I don't think we will," Ashton starts, watching Luke back up a half step with a sad look on his face, "I know we will."

 

Luke laughs and nods, knocking his shoulder into Ashton's. "Come on, I want a rematch before dinner."

 

Ashton snorts. "You're on."

**Author's Note:**

> WELCOME TO DAY 16 OF FICMAS!!!!!!!!!!!! Today you have received some good ol fashioned Lashton fluff of the smol children variety. This story is purely based off of the fact that I used to be Santa's elf with my dad as Santa when I was a smol one and we used to give out presents to all of the less fortunate families and it was my favorite thing to do every year around the holidays. And before anyone cuts my head off, yes I know that Christmas is not the only holiday this time of year and that there are less fortunate families of all faiths who deserves gifts for their particular holiday, but the event that my dad and I always participated in was run by our local Catholic church so it was Christmas themed, however there were no religious requirements for the families who came to the event so they could've been any faith and still gotten a gift and a nice free dinner and dessert :)! And with that little disclaimer out of the way, I hope you all enjoyed this, please leave comments below, and I love you<3
> 
>  
> 
> tumblr: senioritastyles & babyhemhem  
> twitter: xtraceex  
> instagram: traceethekid  
> snapchat: youngtray


End file.
